Family Fun in Downtown Bend

Even in beautiful Bend it rains, and we found a fun way to spend a rainy day at Vector Volcano Classic Arcade. My son spotted this place in downtown Bend while at a festival about a month ago. Today it was a trip for the whole family. I wasn’t quite sure how this would work out for my 5-year old daughter. Would she be bored? Would she be upset if she could not play the games well? Would we go through quarters so fast that we would be done in 10 minutes or spend a fortune?

All my concerns quickly vanished…it was a total blast for the entire family! This place is a classic arcade in every sense of the word. They have just about every old school game you can imagine. The great part is you don’t have to break out quarter after quarter, and you won’t be disappointed when your game ends because you can just automatically start a new game with the push of a button. There isn’t a better way for a 5 & 7 year old to play classic video games! Pricing is great, all you can play in an hour for just $5. There is also an all day (come & go) option for only $10 for the die-hard gamer. One hour was certainly enough time for our crew.

There are 10 pinball machines (my daughter’s favorite), and everything from Pac-Man to Centipede & Tron to Donkey Kong. This girl who spent her teenage years hanging out in the arcade after school in the 80’s was a little disappointed at the snub to Ms. Pac-Man…how can they not have Ms. Pac-Man!?! My disappointment quickly dissipated once I made my way to Centipede and earned 4th place on the high score board! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not that good, and I’m sure the next person to play would knock me out, but it made for some good fun and got the adrenaline pumping.

My son made his way around the arcade playing game after game at lightning speed while my daughter happily sat on a stool at the pinball machines for long stretches of time only to leave and play the occasional game of Pac-Man. Towards the end of our hour we discovered a table game called Warlords. It allows 4 players and gave us the opportunity to all play together. Creating fun family memories while brining back so many childhood memories of my own!

It is also worth a mention that they serve beer, cider, wine, and kombucha. Of course, every game has a cup holder for your beverage! Who knows, my husband and I may just have to come back on date night to get our game on!